


Meltdowns and Swearing Romanians

by sorta_sirius_black



Series: Random Drabbles [1]
Category: Adam (2009), Charlie Countryman (2013), Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Asperger Syndrome, Drabble, First Meetings, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Neighbors, meltdowns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 12:34:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8489857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorta_sirius_black/pseuds/sorta_sirius_black
Summary: Just a fluffy Spacedogs Drabble.





	

Adam had a job in Flintridge, California. 

Adam had never been out of New York City on his own. Not once in his life. 

He could feel the anxiety building up in his fingertips. There were no more boxes to haul inside, nothing else to unpack, nothing more to clean or rearrange or do. No more distraction. He didn't have work for three more days. He would have to learn to navigate the city. Would have to learn where everything was. Would have to talk to people - that was the worst part. He would have to completely start over. 

New routines. New schedules. New home. 

New life without Beth Buchwald. 

His father was dead. Harlan was on the other side of the country. Beth had abandoned him. He had no one. 

Keeping distracted had been key. But now there were no distractions, and he could feel the nervous fluttering in his chest. Fingers twitching. Toes curling reflexively. He wanted to scream, or pace, or curl up and cry. He was alone. Always alone. Humans were social creatures by default, but his Asperger's dictated otherwise, leaving him as what? Little more than parts washed ashore the island of misfit toys. A broken man. 

He gulped down hard. He wanted to hit something. His mind was racing with worn out thoughts, but ones that still packed a punch, reminding him of his failures and shortcomings, reminding him that he would never be normal, when it was all he ever really wanted. 

There was that phrase that NT's used all the time. "Normal is overrated." Or some variation, at least. But it was so wrong. They were the type that never had to suffer through being different, never had to truly fight just to maintain some semblance of composure and put-togetherness. Inside, he was shattering, shying away at every interaction while begging for the company, desperate to speak but terrified at the prospect of doing so... 

Normal wasn't overrated. Being different was. 

That was when he noticed the broken picture frame and the dent in the wall.

His entire body was trembling. Tears were staining, drying against his cheeks. He was pretty sure he could feel the dribble of blood from his forehead, but perhaps it was just sweat. No, it was blood, too thick for sweat. 

He didn't realize that he'd done it again. He wondered if he had the right to meltdown, or if it was an overreaction. He was known to overreact, but other times were justifiable. He wondered which this one was. 

He was under tremendous amounts of stress. He still had severe jet lag. He had been awake for forty-three hours now. Beth Buchwald had abandoned him extremely short notice, not giving him the chance to change plans or expectations. Moving on its own was extremely stressful to neurotypicals. Let alone Aspies. 

It met the qualifications that he had given himself all of those years ago. It was justifiable. 

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

He didn't want to answer. 

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Ignore it. 

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

The door swung open to find a tall man with a tattoo of a pinup girl on his neck. A cigarette hung from the left side of his mouth and he wasn't smiling, which meant that he probably wasn't happy. His hair was a mess and he had bags under his eyes, suggesting months of nights gone without much sleep. He had scars covering much of his skin, from who-knew-what. Adam couldn't quite decide whether or not he was dangerous, whether or not he should just slam the door and lock it. But something told him not to. 

“Could you quiet the fuck d- Damn, kid, you okay? What in fucking hell happened?” The man inquired. 

“Huh?” Adam replied, still dazed. 

“You're fucking bleeding. Looks pretty bad. Come over to my flat a second, I'm right next door, I'll fix you up.” 

Adam’s eyes went wide as the Romanian grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him out the door, entirely too forward. Adam’s immediate response was to pull away, hating touch, but older man was bigger than he was, stronger. 

The older man tugged him into the apartment across the hall, pulling him through the door, leading him to the kitchen table and gesturing for him to sit before disappearing into the hallway and reemerging with a plastic bag that appeared to be full of medical supplies, though Adam wasn't entirely sure. 

The older man scooted a chair across the floor and sat parallel to him, reaching up and pushing his hair out of his face, quickly finding the gash in his forehead. Without preamble, he reached into the bag and fished around a bit before pulling out a small rag, one that seemed to have been cut off from an old shirt or something. Adam didn't have time to back away or flinch, the older man immediately pressing it up against the gash, wiping away some of the blood. 

“What's your name, kid?” He inquired. 

“A-Adam. Adam Raki.” He stuttered out. 

“Adam. Like Adam and Eve?”

“Adam and Eve actually never… Never existed. They were myths. Evolution is actually to account for the first humans, not God, or Adam and Eve. So there were no two distinct beings to be the first humans, not in the way the Bible says, at least.”

“I fucking got it. Just an observation.” The older man chuckled. 

Adam gulped down hard as he reached back into his bag and wet the rag with alcohol and dabbed it against his skin, leaving a sting, but he was too distracted to really notice. 

“What the hell happened, kid? I heard yelling and banging for like ten fucking minutes.” 

Ten minutes. Long for a meltdown. 

“I… Had a… I had a meltdown because I just moved here… And… I was just… Beth left, and I was really stressed, and...” 

“Yeah, I saw you moving in yesterday. Would’ve offered to help, but I had a hangover, and doubted that I would be overly pleasant to be around. Wasn't my bubbly fucking self.”

Adam squirmed in his seat as the older man treated at his wound, cleaning it before pressing gauze against it and taping it down. 

“Should be good. I don't think stitches are necessary. Make sure to change that bandage. Just come back over here if you need another one. Or if you just want to come over and hang out. That's fine too. Though I'm never really here after 9:00. So if I'm not here...” 

Adam’s brow furrowed tightly. He barely even knew this man, and he was already being invited over. Strange. 

“I don't even know your name.” 

“Nigel. Nice to meet you, neighbor.”


End file.
